Biden, PM Modi to discuss GE jet engines, nuclear technology on sidelines of G20 Summit

US is hoping for significant advancement and 'meaningful progress'  in the discussions related to the GE jet engines and civil nuclear technology as US President Joe Biden and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here in New Delhi. G20 forum will be "an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modi's visit to the United States and we will see meaningful progress on a number of issues including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ nine Reapers on five G six G on collaboration on critical and emerging technologies and progress also in the civil nuclear area," US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement on Friday. 

Sullivan noted that US President Biden will hold talks with the Prime Minister on the sidelines at the Group of 20 forum and the two leaders will discuss the key issues. "It [the meeting] will show the breadth of the relationship," Sullivan said. US General Electric (US GE) had inked an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India's aerospace and defence manufacturing firm, to jointly manufacture fighter jet engines in India for the Indian Air Force domestically under Prime Minister Modi's 'Make in India' vision. 

G20 in India 'an important milestone moment for global cooperation': Sullivan

Sullivan stated that at the G20 summit, Biden is "looking forward to an opportunity to engage on a range of what we [US] thinks are really significant issues facing all of the major economies of the world." Biden and PM Modi will discuss a range of issues related to climate change, energy and food security,  global macroeconomic stability, to being able to deliver public goods to people everywhere through ambitious initiatives like the World Bank Reform Initiative, that President Biden has been working on," he said. G20 in India will be "an important milestone moment for global cooperation at a critical time."

On question of China's Xi Jinping's absence seen as a 'spoiler' at the Group of 20 forum, Sullivan underscored that the US intends to have a "deep stake in stewarding the G20 and making sure that it remains a central mechanism for global coordination on all the major challenges we face." 

"We will mark all of that progress when the two of them [Modi and Biden] meet tomorrow, which shows the breadth of the relationship between our countries. Of course, President Biden will also speak on critical fundamental values that the United States stands for as he does in all of his engagements," said US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.